John 20: 21-23

Receiving the Holy Spirit (John 20:20), Hannah Cheriyan Varghese - Malaysia

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

How did the the Father send the Son:

as a newborn,

in a virgin,

a poor family,

obscure family,

unknown by the world,

covert,

Jesus:

hearing the Father,

doing only what the Father said,

only glorifying the Father,

in obedience to the Father, sent.

Jesus is sending out the 12.

He was sent.

They will be sent.

They are going out.

They are no longer their own,

following their own path,

living their own lives.

They are sent out by the Father to glorify the Father -

to be windows so the world sees the Father,

His love for us,

His desire for relationship.

...he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

He has the Holy Spirit,

they need the Holy Spirit in order to be sent out as Jesus,

the Son was sent out.

"If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven;
if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Is the work of the disciples all about forgiveness?

Why are these words followed by the gift of the Holy Spirit?

To forgive man of his sins, show the way to forgiveness?

Is He giving power to the disciples to forgive people's sins?

you have power to not forgive and they won't be forgiven -- that's power!

It's a confrontation with forgiveness.

Is that what Jesus is calling His disciples in to?

Confront and forgive and move out of sin?

His miracles, healings, the woman caught in adultery concluded with,

"Go and sin no more."